The viral Burger King mom is making headlines again—this time, because she says she got fired from her job.
Featured VideoWho is the Burger King mom?
In July, a Burger King customer filmed 25-year-old Nykia Hamilton holding down an entire restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina, all by herself. The TikTok video praised Hamilton for making sure every customer was taken care of despite having to handle literally every aspect of the operations without any help.
After it went viral, Hamilton shared that another employee quit, and there was no one else available, so she had no other options.
Advertisement“I had to work by myself, and close by myself,” she told WACH FOX. “Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru.”
Additionally, she acknowledged that she’s a single mother of three and has struggled to find work with a record. But the hiring manager at Burger King gave her a chance, so she “stayed for her.”
Burger King mom gets fired
The incident sparked conversations online about staffing shortages and how service workers are treated, and the latest twist is kicking them right back up again.
AdvertisementA mere month after Hamilton went viral, she posted a TikTok of her own, saying that she’d been fired from Burger King due to attendance issues.
“I’ve been late because of my kids. But my kids come first,” she said tearfully. “Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, nothing.”
@kianolabel The devil won i don’t care no more I can’t do this no more just leave me alone ##burgerkingmom #fyp #fyp #singlemomof3 ♬ original sound – Mk adventures
Burger King confirmed Hamilton’s claim, telling the NY Post, “Terminations are the decision of the franchisees who own and operate the BK restaurant. In this situation, the franchisee confirmed that the individual involved is no longer employed due to repeated attendance issues.”
AdvertisementThe company also reiterated a previous statement that there should never be just one employee working a shift for any amount of time.
Why people are outraged
The fact that an employee can be put in what even the company itself acknowledges is a terrible position, go viral for being praised for doing a wonderful job under pressure, and still end up fired within a month feels indicative of much larger problems with employment in the U.S. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the support for working parents? Where’s that American Dream where you work hard and it actually pays off in some way?
No one outraged by the story seems naive enough to believe in any of those things anymore, but it’s still frustrating to see such a bold example of how workers are constantly being failed by the system that’s been set up play out.
Advertisement AdvertisementHamilton eventually decided to use her viral moment to help her and her kids through this difficult time, launching a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $100,000 so far.
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